1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to silk screen printing systems, and more particularly, is directed to an adjustable pocket printing platen suitable for adjustably securing to any known type of silk screen printing machine to readily affix a small pocket or logo printing platen in any predetermined position upon the existing printing platen.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Silk screen printing is a popular art throughout the United States and in most foreign countries for applying artistic designs upon fabrics or upon finished articles of apparel, such as T-shirts. More recently, multicolor silk screen printers have become available to allow the rapid printing of previously designed patterns upon various materials such as textiles, paper, finished articles of clothing and the like.
Specialized multi-color printers have now been designed to facilitate the easy printing of multi-color designs upon a single workpiece, for example a popular article of wearing apparel such as a T-shirt. Companies such as Atlas Screeen Printing, Inc. of Chicago, Ill. have advertised a variety of highly efficiet multicolor printing systems to facilitate rapid and inexpensive silk screen printing directly on T-shirts. Such machines are characterized by a sturdy central work table having two or more work stations extending thereform. Each work station usually comprises generally a longitudinally adjustable planar printing platen for receiving and properly positioning the T-shirt or other textile thereupon. A printing head is pivotal above the platen and includes a suitable screen holder and means for applying the color. By pivoting the printing head downwardly to the printing platen, the silk screened design can then be applied directly upon the platen supported garment or fabric in the usual manner. When more than one color is to be printed, an additional work station is employed for each color to be applied. The screens are maintained in exact registry in the printing heads so that the various colors, when applied to the screen, will be applied in precisely the predetermined, desired location.
Such prior art silk screen printing devices are highly efficient in operation and are generally satisfactory for the purpose intended. However, problems have arisen when it is desired to print only a small design or logo in a particular location upon a garment. This has proved to be an expensive and inexact exercise when using existing equipment.
For example, when it is desired to print a design directly only upon the pocket of a T-shirt or other garment, the prior operators have found that it is a time consuming and tedious chore to precisely align the pocket with the screen so that the logo or other design can be applied in precisely the correct location. Most often, in view of the difficulties experienced in properly placing a pocket silk screened design, such designs cannot be properly applied and are therefore usually not offered to the public in the same manner that full body designs are generally provided.